Illinois-born chain Portillo's has been serving its takes on signature Chicago foods like hot dogs, Italian beef and Maxwell Street Polish sausages since the business' humble beginnings as a hot-dog cart in Villa Park back in the early 1960s. Now, the fast-casual favorite—which operates over 90 locations throughout the United States, including 46 restaurants in the Chicago metropolitan area and Northern Illinois alone—is breaking into the breakfast business.
RECOMMENDED: The 25 best hot dog stands in Chicago, from classic Chicago dogs to Detroit-style Coneys
Yes, beginning today, April 15, Portillo's is officially testing out breakfast items for the first time in the company’s 62-year history at five select Chicagoland locations, including in Elmhurst, Niles, Shorewood, Tinley Park and the South Loop outpost at Canal and Taylor Street.
Available for dine-in, carryout or drive-through daily from 6:30am to 10:30am, the all-new and limited-time-only morning menu will feature breakfast sandwiches, a doughnut collaboration with Stan’s Donuts (one of the best doughnut purveyors in Chicago) and locally roasted offerings from Metropolis Coffee. In case you were wondering: yes, there will also be beef—Italian beef, that is.
The egg sandwiches come in three varieties: a basic bacon-egg-and-cheese on a buttery croissant, one loaded with sweet peppers and giardiniera sauce on toasted French bread, and a hot dog-esque option stuffed with a char-grilled Polish sausage. You can order each a la carte or as part of a breakfast meal deal, which gets you a sandwich, a small classic coffee and hash brown bites (don't forget the side of cheese sauce!) for $7.99.
On the sweet end of things, that aforementioned Stan's Donuts collab is a chocolate old-fashioned donut dipped in chocolate glaze and drizzled with chocolate cake frosting. It will exclusively be available at Portillo’s.
And along with standard Metropolis Coffee Skyway blends, served hot or iced, Portillo's will also roll out specialty coffee drinks, including a sweet vanilla iced coffee and a chocolate cake iced coffee, further inspired by the brand's famous chocolate cake.
An official end date for the breakfast menu has not been announced, but Portillo's warns on its website: "We're just testing breakfast for the summer, so don't miss your chance to come by and give it a try!"
So, if you're craving that Polish sausage breakfast sandwich or that chocolatey Stan's collab doughnut, drop by ASAP before they're gone.